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ART INSIGHT
March 07

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Back Issues
#25 - February 2008 Like to see more? Click here to request an issue dating back to October 2005. |
In Focus
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streetscapes | ||
Early in the 1980’s a small group of young art students banded together to form one of the only significant art movements to survive that decade. “Roar Studios”, whose founding members Mark Schaller and David Larwill along with Giardino Pasquale, began in Melbourne’s Prahan and went on to establish an enduring reputation at its better known Fitzroy Gallery. Holding his first solo exhibition with Roar at age 18, Mark Schaller is today regarded as one of Australia’s strongest mid career artists, with a distinctive, vigorous and expressionistic style. Challenging himself to make art that is passionate and relevant to contemporary culture, Schaller presents us a view of ourselves which is fresh yet recalls other significant movements and leading artists of earlier art history. “Streetscapes”, Schaller’s current body of work, is his first solo exhibition at Art Equity Gallery and his first to be held in Sydney since 2003. This vibrant group of paintings presents a contemporary reimaging of inner Sydney, depicting specific and recognizable streets and scenes, which are also strikingly familiar to city dwellers the world over. In choosing Sydney as his scape, Schaller references a most familiar and much loved genre in Australian art history, visited by many leading artists of the past century. Recalling the converging rows of Paddington terraces in Sali Herman’s sensitive 1950’s oils, Schaller’s works also include that poignant observation of daily life seen in Robert Dickerson’s lonely streets. In approach, Schaller is most influenced by Danila Vassilieff’s Surry Hills slums, by the way the streetscape informs our view of the world. Jeff Smart’s empty freeways are there too, in mostly unpeopled scenes. And like Smart, Schaller effectively employs limited primary colour and repetitive patterning, tilting and flattening the picture plane, making shape and line paramount. Not all is dark and sombre, Schaller’s vision in 2008 is colourful, very much alive and disarmingly charming. These are images, with their plane tree lined avenues and narrow twists and turns, which speak directly to the heart and what it is to exist in any of our great cities. As Schaller recalls of his works, "I think that's an important part of painting or works of art, that they have to be humanistic. There has to be a human part in it." The Roar name was originally coined to make the establishment stop and take notice. More than ever, Schaller is making us take notice today. “Streetscapes” opens at Art Equity Gallery on February 28th and continues until March 14th 2008. Brenda Colahan 2008 |
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Media View
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TOP: Geoff Dyer, Untitled Red (detail), Oil on Linen,
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Art equity sponsors the Royal easter showWe are proud to announce that Art Equity is a 'Red Ribbon' Sponsor of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. We are committed, in partnership with the RAS to assist in educating the broader community about the historical influences and achievements of the RAS as a cultural institution. Art Equity is funding a new art prize, the 'Art Equity Award', presented to the artist who demonstrates overall excellence across each class in the Sydney Royal Arts Show. At the completion of the Show, Art Equity will host an exhibition in our CBD based gallery showcasing all award winning artworks from the 2008 Sydney Royal Arts Show. The categories include; painting, drawing, printmaking, miniatures, photography, under 17's paintings and under 17's photography. The Art Equity exhibition will run from 10 to 24 April. sky business news interviews al baileyArt Equity's Director of Sales, Al Bailey was interviewed live on Sky Business News last month. Viewers emailed and called in with a broad range of art and investment related questions during the hour long discussion. Al will appear again towards the end of February / early March and at other times throughout the year. Watch your guides! Art equity supports australia day ball, singapore
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Top Movers
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The first of a series of a mini art books on prominent Australian artists has just been released. Tim Storrier, a small hardback book (approx 16cmx13cm) produced by Jenny Zimmer and Ken McGregor and published by Macmillan is full of glossy photographs of the artist and a selection of the best works from his 30 year career. The short introduction and essay is both interesting and educational making the books perfect for students, collectors and art-lovers alike! The books will retail for $35 each. Glover Prize TasmaniaFour Art Equity artists have been selected as finalists in the prestigious $30,000
John Glover Prize
for a landscape painting of Tasmania. Tasmanian artists, Geoff Dyer and Patrick Grieve and Victorian artists Jeff Makin and Adam Nudelman are among the 43 finalists. The winner will be announced on March 7th. Katy Woodroffe Less than two months into 2008, Katy has already been selected as a finalist in three art awards; the $15,000 Stanthorpe Art Prize, Queensland (selected from 489 entries); Wrest Point Art Awards, Tasmania and the $25,000 Whyalla Art Prize, South Australia (52 selected from 464 entries nationwide). She has also been selected to exhibit her work in four international art exhibitions - Find out more about this artist >
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TOP: Tim Storrier speaking at the official opening of The Storrier in Potts Point with John Olsen beside him NEXT: Tim Storrier, Night Burning Log (Working title), Collagraph, 58x113cm (*Available) NEXT:Geoff Dyer, Regrowth Scamander, Oil on canvas, 153 x 183cm (*Available) NEXT: Adam Nudelman, Setting new goals 3, (Glover prize entry) Oil on linen, 153 x 183cm LEFT: Mini art book titled "Tim Storrier" available in book stores soon.
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Market Watch
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2007 was like no other year for the Australian art market. Auction sales totaled $175.6 million, growth of 68% on the previous year and almost double any year-on-year growth ever recorded before. It even outperformed the international market based on Sotheby's and Christies 2007 results.
The question now is whether the art market can sustain this level of growth in the year ahead...against a backdrop of volatile world markets and possible US recession. Recent turmoil in global share markets certainly hasn't set an ideal scene for investments of most types and the art market is no exception.But while the tenacity of buyers in 2008 has yet to be tested in the Australian auction room, London and New York have proven art is still hot property. Sotheby’s series of Impressionist and Modern art sales this month realised £144.5 million, an extraordinary result given the estimate for combined sales was £100 million.
TOP: Tim Storrier, Engonia Constellation III, Acrylic on linen,106.5x198cm (*Available) ABOVE: Gloria Petyarre, Bush Medicine Leaf, AEPETGA7879MM, Acrylic on linen,140x205cm (*Available)
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It is the highest total ever achieved for any series of Impressionist & Modern art sale held anywhere in Europe. Five lots sold for over £5 million – the highest number of lots ever sold at this level in any European auction. Commenting on the sale, Melanie Clore, Co-chairman Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department Worldwide said: “We are thrilled with tonight’s results, which demonstrate the strong hunger in the market for quality works. The broad international buying from Russia and Asia as well as Europe and the Americas was very much in evidence this evening.” The sale attracted established collectors as well as several new buyers. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, an Australian collector raised more than $4.5 million selling a Picasso and a Chagall at the Sotheby’s sale. While Sotheby’s appeared to grab the headlines, Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art sales also attracted impressive sales results fetching £114 million over two days. The highlight of the sale was Pablo Picasso’s 1938 work “Femme au chapeau”, which sold for £5.7 million pounds. Christies also fared well at its sale of Post-war and Contemporary Art, taking more than £97 million. One of the biggest tests of the current financial climate was the sale of Old Master paintings and works of art at Sothebys in New York last month. Surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $US68 million, the auction fetched $US82.5 million. While it's all speculation on the domestic front as we await the first round auctions, the buoyancy of these international sales show great promise. Overall, perhaps investors will be more prudent with their money however this may play out positively for the art market. As Peter Fish points out in the Sydney Morning Herald late last month, "Some with paintings as a part of their investment portfolios might be looking to their pictures as a good store of wealth when other investments have fallen. Perhaps in these confusing times it might even be worth investing more in art?" |
Rental News
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Geoff Dyer is regarded as one of the premier landscape artists currently working in Australia. His works are held in major corporate and private collections throughout Australia, Europe, UK, USA and Asia. Critical and market acceptance of Geoff Dyer has been widespread.He won the Archibald Prize for portraiture in 2003 at the Art Gallery of NSW and has been selected in Australia’s premier landscape award The Wynne Prize eight times.
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What's On
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Art Equity GalleryMark Schaller Exhibition Openings To join our Exhibition mailing list, please click here and leave your name, address and email address. Educational Seminars If you are interested in attending a seminar at Art Equity Gallery, please click here. NSWArt Gallery of NSW Yasumasa Morimura: Seasons of Passion / A Requiem: Mishima In his 2006 series Morimura recreates memorable postwar incidents as reported through press photography, harking back to his earlier 1991 work 'Slaughter cabinet II'. Until 9 March 2008 Scott Redford Scott Redford’s project, Blood disco, comprises seven large surf paintings. Redford commissioned some of Australia’s best surfboard-makers to create works manufactured in a similar way to surfboards. Dragging art history into popular culture, his ‘surf’ paintings represent the visual and social culture of the Gold Coast and focus on the dissolve between high and low culture Until 30 March 2008
Renowned for his pioneering work in panoramic and landscape photography, Charles Bayliss is considered a leading figure in Australia’s photographic heritage. This display presents two substantial portfolios of his photographs that picturesquely document aspects of pastoral life and landscape along the Darling River and Riverina districts in the late 1880s. Until 25 May 2008 ARTEXPRESS 2008 A dynamic and popular exhibition featuring a selection of outstanding student artworks developed for the artmaking component of the HSC examination in Visual Arts, 2007. Until 30 March 2008 COMING... Michael Riley: sights unseen
TIM HAWKINSON For the first time in Australia, the MCA presents Los Angeles-based Tim Hawkinson, whose ingenious constructions of found objects and everyday items have brought him widespread recognition as one of the most original artists working today. Until 9 March 2008
This major exhibition brings together a selection of significant paintings by acclaimed Scottish artist Callum Innes. Until 5 March 2008 THEY ARE MEDITATING: BARK PAINTINGS FROM THE MCA’S ARNOTT’S COLLECTION In June 1993 Arnott’s Biscuits Limited donated a rare and significant collection of bark paintings to the Museum of Contemporary Art. The collection comprises of 21 barks dating from the late 1960’s through tp the early 80’s by artists from Australia’s north. 6 March - 1 June 2008
FIONA HALL: FORCE FIELD This exhibition presents an in-depth survey of the work of Australian artist Fiona Hall from the 1970s to the present. Hall began her career in photography but has extended into diverse media including sculpture, installation and garden design. Her work is characterised by its use of 6 March - 1 June 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Centre for Photography Christopher Bennie: Two Ships In Two Ships, two container ships move across the horizon at different speeds. While nothing else of any consequence occurs throughout the four and a half minutes of this work, the ordinariness of the image has a comfortable and mesmerising quality. Christopher Bennie's recent short videos portray his familiar, everyday surroundings; the washing line, Brisbane river and city skyline, amusement park rides, puddles with lens flare, the artists' back and the artists' backyard. 1 February to 19 February 2008 William Yang: Claiming China Open 1 February to 8 March 2008 Historic Houses Trust Sydney Now This exhibition presents an extraordinary portrait of contemporary Sydney life, with over 100 images by 24 photographers made since the year 2000. They record moments from the everyday lives of ordinary citizens, rather than the news and celebrity more frequently observed in mainstream media Until 27 April 2008 ACTNational Gallery of Australia 14 March – 9 June 2008
Launched Friday 26 October 2007 Matthew Perceval Portraits National Photographic Portrait Prize National Portrait Gallery - Commonwealth Place COMING... National Youth Self Portrait Prize VICNational Gallery of Victoria - International (NGVI) Resonant Visions Until 17 August 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- National Gallery of Victoria - The Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square (NGVA) This exhibition of paintings and drawings will focus on Audette’s expatriate years, charting the development of her distinctive abstract vocabulary, from her earliest experimentation with abstract forms to the lyrical calligraphic and graffiti works for which she is renowned. Until 17 February 200 Bertram Mackennal Until 24 February 2008 Black in Fashion Mourning to Night (NGV International and Ian Potter Centre) 8 February – 24 August 2008
COMING... Sidney Nolan Sidney Nolan is the first retrospective exhibition to be mounted since the artist’s death in 1992 and includes a selection of his most important masterpieces. 22 February to 18 May 2008
SAArt Gallery of South Australia The Rhianon Vernon-Roberts Memorial Collection The exhibition includes highlights from the Collection – now one of the most significant of its type in Australia – including work by Rhianon Vernon-Roberts herself. Until 16 March
2008 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Anxiety over nature and the environment, cultural traditions and beliefs being eroded, our psychological and spiritual health under threat... 1 March - 4 May 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia TWILIGHT TASTasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Fierce or Friendly is about humans and their fascination with other animals. A fascinating exhibition of zoological specimens, art and artefacts selected from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, the Museum of Old and New Art at Moorilla and other important private collections from around Tasmania. Until 6 April 2008 ningenneh tunapry COMING... Personal Perspectives : Artists and Their Portraits Personal Perspectives is an exhibition that reveals the sense of community within the Australian art world. Using paintings, drawings, prints and photographs from the TMAG collection, audiences can view work in new contexts along with other items not seen before. 18 April–29 June 2008
A poetic and powerful exhibition of 60 new works from one of Australia’s leading photographers. 26 April–22 June 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery The Painted Portrait Photograph in Tasmania: 1850-1900 ArtRage 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WAArt Gallery of Western Australia James Angus See art that’s twisted, turned inside out and dropped on its head. This exhibition from Perth-born artist, James Angus, showcases sculptures of physically distorted everyday objects and iconic architectural forms. Brutal Tender Human Animal Prepare to be amazed. This exhibition features imagery of humans, animals and inanimate objects in taut arrangements that comment on the animism running through all things. Confronting, disturbing and not to be missed. Until 4th May 08 COMING... Year 12 Perspectives 'Year 12 Perspectives' is a dynamic and vibrant exhibition that features a selection of original works created by the state's metropolitan and regional TEE Art and Art and Design students.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fremantle Arts Centre Vanila Netto creates photographic work triggered by found objects. A subtle reappraisal of their function, value and aesthetics is undertaken via a disarmingly simple process involving the reconfiguration of the readymade and the staged photograph. Vanila is drawn to the aesthetic edge and nobility of modest, underrated sources – rejected goods and non-celebrities. Skin to Skin: a dialogue between art and fashion Highlighting the ways in which fashion and contemporary art feed off each other, Skin to Skin seeks to extend our understanding of the relationship between fashion and issues of identity, consumption and beauty. 2 February – 30 March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Perth Institute of Contemporary Art Gail Hastings Sculptural installations Until 30th March 2008 Emily Wardill Ben (video installation) Louise Hubbard Hack Work COMING... Hatched National Graduate Show 11 April – 25 May 2008
NTMuseum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Exit Art showcases artwork produced by Year 12 visual art, craft and design students in the Northern Territory. Until 27 April 2008 Windows on Australian Art - Focus Inspire / Expire Until 20 July 2008
QLDQueensland Art Gallery Kenneth Macqueen Until 5 May 2008 Exclusive to Brisbane, Australia’s first major Andy Warhol retrospective brings together more than 300 works spanning all areas of his practice from the 1950s until his death in 1987 — paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, films, videos and installations Until 30 March 2008 GoMA Protest: Australian Political Posters 1972-92 Until 24 February 2008, QAG
Museum of Brisbane Remembering Goodna: Stories from a Queensland mental hospital Until 23 March 2008 Wonder Women: Brisbane women in sport - Story Hall exhibition Until 26 February 2005 Shifting Focus: 2007 Lord Mayor’s Photographic Awards Until 2 March 2008 Richard Randall: 1869 – 1906 Until 2 March 2008 QLD Centre for Photography Until 24 February 2008
Benjamin Ali Ong’s work utilizes a scratching aesthetic that seems to illustrate another layer embedded within the photographic medium. Until 24 February 2008 Heidi Stevens Haberdashery Until 24 February 2008 Peter Wilson Until 24 February 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Institute of Modern Art The Brisbane Sound Until 9 March 2008 COMING... Jacky Redgate Visions From Her Bed 15 March - 26 April |
TOP: Adam Nudelman, Waiting for the fall, Oil on linen, 122 x 152cm (*Available) MIDDLE: A full house at the opening of Utopia on February 7th BOTTOM: Brad Munro, Sea Breeze 2, Oil on canvas, 166 x 146cm (*Available)
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